Jets’ rally fails in last seconds as Vikes win a squeaker again
The Minnesota Vikings might be pretty comfortable at this point of the season with tight finishes.
Justin Jefferson's touchdown catch with 8:33 left Sunday gave the Vikings a large enough lead to hang on for a 27-22 victory despite a relentless rally by the New York Jets.
Camryn Bynum's interception at the 1-yard line with 10 seconds left finally sealed it for the Vikings (10-2), who completed a four-game sweep of the AFC East in their typical high-wire fashion.
"I know pressure’s on us,” Bynum said of the defensive stop. “We’re in the red zone, fourth down, one play to lose the game or win the game, but to us that’s normal football.”
Mike White, who was picked off twice, was 31 of 57 for 369 yards in his second start this season for the Jets (7-5).
He scored on a fourthand-goal sneak from the 1 to pull within five points with 6:45 to go after a replay review reversed the initial ruling that he was stopped short.
With 1:43 remaining and the chance to take the lead, White's fourth-andgoal pass from the 1 was incomplete when Braxton Berrios bobbled it and the ball hit the turf.
“They’ve been winning like this all year, and we didn’t make the play that we needed to make,” Jets coach Robert Saleh said.
Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison rushed for second-quarter touchdowns and Greg Joseph made his two field goals and three extra points for the Vikings, who took a 20-3 lead late in the second quarter.
But the Vikings netted just 10 yards on three third-quarter possessions and found themselves in their ninth one-score game of the season — all wins.
The Vikings are one win or one Detroit Lions loss from clinching the NFC North and have a healthy lead for the No. 2 seed in the conference.
“I do feel like we’re going to be able to rely on these experiences, how we’ve won games,” firstyear coach Kevin O'Connell said.
White lost but probably did nothing to damage his folk hero status with many Jets fans. His fourth-quarter highlights included a 60-yard completion to Garrett Wilson and a 31-yard pass to Corey Davis on fourthand-10.
Last week, White passed for 315 yards and three touchdowns to beat Chicago in his first start following the benching of 2021 second overall draft pick Zach Wilson.
The big problem for the Jets was third-down conversions (3 for 16) and red zone touchdowns (1 for
6).
The Jets had to settle for five field goals from Greg Zuerlein, including a franchise-record 60yarder at the end of the first half.
“We stared adversity straight in the face and responded,” White said. "Just got to respond better.”